Tech: Inside the Belgian headquarters at the cyclo-cross world championships

A peek inside what makes the 'cross powerhouse tick

Depending on what happens with the weather, Saturday's races could be monumentally challenging - for both the riders and the mechanics. Eva Bandman park clearly has more than enough mud and grass to go around and the freezing temperatures certainly aren't helping.

(Jonny Irick)

This poor little sponge doesn't know what it's in for.

(Jonny Irick)

The Belgian national team took control of a sizeable conference room at the Sheraton Hotel in Louisville. Team mechanics were definitely happy to be working indoors.

(Jonny Irick)

Somewhere in this mess are two chainrings, a crankarm, and a pedal - and maybe a front derailleur.

(Jonny Irick)

Consider this: compared to many bikes we saw coming off the course, this Belgian team bike is relatively clean.

(Jonny Irick)

This looks like mud but what it actually is concrete disguised as mud. The bright sun and freezing temperatures wreaked havoc on bikes on Friday's training rides.

(Jonny Irick)

The only thing better than a pressure washer to a cyclocross team mechanic is one that pumps out heated water.

(Jonny Irick)

Before down below, and after up above. We sure hope those bottom bracket bearings are sealed well?

(Jonny Irick)

There is simply no substitute for highly pressurized water when it comes to getting bikes clean. Keep in mind, however, that all of these bikes are fully relubed and tuned after every wash, too.

(Jonny Irick)

Real pro mechanics always make sure the undersides of the saddles are clean. Belgian team wrench Bart Risbourg has got this rider covered.

(Jonny Irick)

"Never spray pressurized water directly at bearings." Uh huh.

(Jonny Irick)

Considering how dirty some of these bikes get, it's remarkable how clean they end up. Mechanics leave no stone unturned.

(Jonny Irick)

So what's it take to support a team of nine riders? The Belgian squad brought 60 bikes and 140 pairs of wheels - not to mention spare parts, mechanics, and staff.

(Jonny Irick)

The Belgian national team brought more gear to Louisville than some many US-based teams see all year.

(Jonny Irick)

Hopefully the Belgian national team's pit room has a seriously stout lock on the door.

(Jonny Irick)

Thursday's course recon was far more gentle on equipment.

(Jonny Irick)

Carnage awaits the team mechanics after riders' course recon on Friday. Bikes were coming back with 3kg of mud packed on, all of it frozen solid. And yes, we weighed the bikes ourselves.

(Jonny Irick)

For sure this isn't a proper service course but all things considered, it beats working outside.

(Jonny Irick)

The Belgian national team appeared to organize gear by trade team inside its hotel conference room compound.

(Jonny Irick)

Seriously, folks, the Belgians brought a massive pile of gear to Louisville.

(Jonny Irick)

Belgian national team rider Sanne Cant can not only ride rollers, she can do it no-handed while checking her iPhone.

(Jonny Irick)

We shudder to think of how much it cost to get all of the team's equipment to Louisville.

(Jonny Irick)

The Belgian team mechanics are probably going to need these come race day.

The base of the truing stand arms are clamped in a vise in between aluminum blocks.

(Jonny Irick)

Brass indicators are easily adjustable as needed. Beautiful.

(Jonny Irick)

Belgian team mechanic Dieter Clerx didn't built this truing stand with universal fitment in mind - one set of slots for front wheels, another for rears. Nothing more, nothing less.

(Jonny Irick)

Belgian team mechanic Dieter Clerx built this truing stand specifically for Louisville, knowing full well he wasn't going to have a solid bench-mounted vise on hand.

(Jonny Irick)

Sven Nys has a chat with his mechanic, Dieter Clerx.

(Jonny Irick)

Check out the file work on the back of this housing stop.

(Jonny Irick)

We've seen bikes that don't look this clean when new, let alone after they've been ridden on a horrendously muddy course. These team mechanics are magicians.

(Jonny Irick)

How big time is Niels Albert? Yep, the current UCI world champion even gets custom brakes.

(Jonny Irick)

It's only because of the slight glint of red that we can identify this as an FSA crankset.

(Jonny Irick)

This Belgium-themed Colnago Prestige belongs to Belgian junior racer Yannick Peeters. Given the early start time on Saturday and the cold overnight temperatures, we're thinking his bike will come out much cleaner than it did on Friday.

(Jonny Irick)

Even training wheels are cleaned after each session.

(Jonny Irick)

We wonder what the Belgian national team paid for the security deposit. Hotel staff may have wanted to cover a little more of the floor with plastic than they did.

Consider this: the Belgian national brought 20 riders to Louisville, Kentucky, for the first-ever UCI cyclo-cross world championship to be held on US soil. What's it take to support 20 riders? Try 66 bikes, 140 sets of wheels (all with tires mounted, mind you), countless spare parts and repair equipment and an army of team mechanics and staff. The Belgians aren't just coming – they're here, and in a big, big way.

We took a tour of their team area, which occupied a sizable conference room inside a local hotel. While it's not a proper service course by any means, it's awfully impressive considering the logistics of getting all of these people and gear here. Sit back and be awestruck.

Also, stay tuned for more in-depth features on some key Belgian team bikes, too. We're just getting started here.